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What is on my Guinea Pig2007-11-24 22:17:34

3 of my guinea pigs have had something sticky right above there bums. When I wash it off, there is no hair on the area and the skin is all red. Within a few days its back again. On my two darker piggies it's brown and on my lighter one it's kind of an orange colour. It also happens to be just on my males my female doesn't have it. It doesn't bother them but I just want to know what it is. Can someone please tell me?!?!

Answers:

That little spot where a tail would normally be is called a grease gland. It is specific to boars.

This area will need to be cleaned periodically to keep the skin healthy. Just use a mild degreasing dish detergent or the grease disolving hand cleaner in a tub (look in the auto section at WalMart). Rub just a little on the spot & let that sit for a minute to break up the grease. I use a small comb that is meant for flea removal to run through the hair to get any clumps of grease. Then rinse. Then take a dab of mild small animal shampoo and gently wash the area again. Rinse & pat dry with a towel. You do not have to bathe the whole piggie. Just the bum.

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ALL 3 of them? Hmmm. that's wierd. Did you just get them? The best thing to do is go to a vet OR call up your vet and ask them about it. Other than that..give then plenty of cool water and fresh foods. Make sure that the cage is also somewhat clean and not all dirty becuase that may cause and infection.

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That is an oil gland, and it is normal, and only on males! It does help to wash it once in awhile, but you will probably irritate their skin if they are bathed more often than every 2 weeks. Use baby shampoo, or a shampoo made for bunnies, and rub the gland gently, but don't wash it all off, it is irritating their skin and just making them produce more protective oil!

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Its called a Grease Spot. And grease collects there. Its really really hard to wash off tho. Dont use shampoo to wash it, you have to use something heavy duty like dish soap. Dont rub too hard, cuz you'll make them bleed. You can actually cut some of that off with scissors. Good luck.